Union leader to head Demos

With hard-thumping rock music drifting through Salt Palace folding doors from a team dance competition in the next hall, Utah Democrats on Saturday picked new state party officers while taking a few shots at Republicans, who have ruled here for a quarter century.

Wayne Holland Jr., a lifelong labor union leader, was narrowly chosen by Democratic delegates to head the state party for the next two years, current chairman Donald Dunn having decided to retire after just one term.

A record eight candidates filed for the chairman's office, and it took two ballots to pick a winner. Holland beat out Jan Lovett, who ran for the Utah House from West Jordan in 2004, in the final round by just 25 votes, 377-352. A number of the original 1,200 delegates left before the final ballot was taken about 4 p.m., ending what was for some a 10-hour convention.

Oddly enough for Democrats, all four party positions went to men, even though five women were candidates in the chair, vice chair, treasurer and secretary field.

Perhaps because there were so many good candidates to chose from in the chairmanship race, this party election didn't exhibit some of the nastiness of recent intraparty contests, although labels were easily attached Saturday by a few of the candidates.

Holland, a union steelworker representative, was labeled the labor union candidate, while other chair candidates were seen as backing newly picked Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean, representing the current party hierarchy, or being from the party's liberal wing.

How Democrats can win in such a "red," Republican state was much-discussed Saturday. Chair candidate Tracy Van Wagoner said Utah Democrats' problem in losing elections actually has a fairly simple solution: "We just need to be likable again."

U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, who has been criticized by some Utah Democrats for being too conservative, had a warm reception Saturday. Last year about 50 delegates stood up and turned their backs on Matheson as he addressed the 2004 state party convention, apparently unhappy with his favorable vote in Congress to define marriage as only between a man and a woman. No such protest was seen Saturday. However, while some delegates stood and cheered Matheson, others sat quietly, not even clapping.

"We've had some tough fights" both inside and outside of the party, said Matheson. "We can use diversity as a strength and come together, not let wedges divide us.

"Utah Democrats have wandered in the political wilderness too long. I'm about winning elections. And I'm a little lonely."

Matheson is Utah's sole Democratic congressman and the minority party's highest officeholder.